Under the sting of blinding sunlight, Jack Sullivan squinted as he gradually woke up.

His face itched slightly, and the rustling grass around him hinted at his unusual surroundings.

“Wasn't I killed in a car accident? How am I alive again?"

Baffled, he hadn’t pieced together how he’d survived death when something ahead made his eyes widen in shock.

And then, he froze completely.

Before him was a girl, draped in ancient-styled garments, her beauty so ethereal she resembled a fairy. However, what truly floored him was her next move—she aimed to crouch, right where he was lying amidst the overgrown grass.

What the hell!

Could she really be planning to…

No way, right? Surely not!

But… what on earth would she—

His inner panic surged like a raging tide, yet even amidst his frantic thoughts, Jack snapped to a realization. A man as upright as him surely wasn’t the type to spy on this inadvertently, was he?

His eyes widened further, nearly popping out of their sockets.

The moment the girl started lowering herself, he couldn’t bear it anymore. Poking his head furiously out of the dense thicket, Jack shouted, voice loud and clear:

"Hey! Miss! What’re you doing?! You can’t just relieve yourself here!"

The air froze.

The girl paused mid-squat, her whole figure stiff as a board. And then…

“Ahhhh!” She let out a sharp scream, hastily pulling down her skirt and sprang up like a startled rabbit. In an instant, she was gliding through the air on a sharp sword.

What the hell? Flying on a sword?

Damn it, she's really some kind of celestial being?

Jack Sullivan froze for a moment, stunned. At the same time, a torrent of foreign yet strangely familiar memories surged into his mind, as if he'd lived through them himself.

Aha, I’ve freaking transmigrated!

Quickly sorting through the jumbled mess of memories, Jack pieced everything together.

So, this is a cultivation world? Turns out people here can practice all kinds of techniques to become immortals, just like that angry sword-riding girl in front of me.

As for the body he'd taken over? Apparently, its former owner was the current royal son-in-law. But wow, what rotten luck this guy had.

Born a poor orphan, yet blessed with an incredibly rare spiritual root, he’d caught the eye of the emperor as a child and was taken into the palace as a son-in-law. With endless rare resources at his disposal, he advanced his cultivation at a freakish speed, reaching the Golden Core stage in just six years.

But the day he broke into the Golden Core stage, that seductive princess? She drained him dry — seven days and seven nights. Took all his cultivation, even his spiritual root.The brilliant son-in-law, newly married and once a prodigy, now a cripple, was swiftly cast out of the palace under the cover of darkness. Stripped of all value, he was sent off to the borders, only to be killed by the emperor’s men along the way. His lifeless body was discarded here in the wilderness.

"Ugh, what a waste!"

Piecing together the memories of this body, Jack Sullivan shook his head in frustration, regret flickering across his face. "Damn it! If only I’d arrived just a little sooner."

Thinking back to that breathtaking princess, a pang of irritation jabbed at him. The timing was just too unlucky.

"How dare you, licentious rogue! You dare to spy on me? Prepare to die!"

A sharp, angry voice cut through the air, startling Jack. It was that flying fairy, returning with fury written all over her.

Blushing red enough to rival the sunset, her eyes burned with murderous intent. Standing on her icy, gleaming sword, she surged toward him with killing intent.

"Oh, come on, fairy! This is a huge misunderstanding! You're the one who plopped down where I was lying! And... kill me if you must, but looking like that? You’re making it really hard to find the motivation to run!"

Jack shouted, bolting away before he finished the sentence.

The girl’s face darkened even further, her embarrassment transforming into rage. With a fierce tug on her skirt to steady it, she grit her teeth and cursed, "You wretched pervert!" Her sword sped up with a whistle, streaking after Jack like a predator hunting its prey.

As he sprinted for his life, Jack's mind raced to come up with a plan. Suddenly, an idea clicked into place like a thunderbolt in his head.Stopping in his tracks, Jack Sullivan reached into his robe and pulled out a familiar token. Turning around, he shouted at the girl, “You wicked witch! I’m the prince consort of the Fire Nation! How dare you disrespect me? Do you have any idea what happens when I get angry? I’ll wipe out your entire clan!”

Just as he finished, a series of system notifications echoed in his mind.

“Congratulations to Host ‘Jack Sullivan’ for activating the Act-Tough System. This system is here to help you rise to the top and dominate!”

“Congratulations to Host ‘Jack Sullivan’ for successfully acting tough! 1 point of Toughness Value awarded. Would you like to access the store for redemption?”

“Host’s abilities are deemed insufficient to survive in the current difficulty of this world. A Beginner’s Gift Pack is awarded. Would you like to open it?”

A glowing screen popped up in front of him, displaying several pieces of information.

“Host: Jack Sullivan

Realm: Mortal

Utterly powerless

Experience: 0/100

Toughness Value: 1 point

Abilities: None

Profession: None

Status: Prince Consort of the Fire Nation in the Eastern Wasteland

…”

Jack sucked in a quick breath, his eyes widening for a moment before he burst out laughing uncontrollably.

“This... This system is tailor-made for me! Acting tough, slapping faces—I was born for this! Now, this is gonna be fun!”

“You vile scoundrel! Facing death and you still dare to laugh?!” the girl snarled, her sword gleaming dangerously.Suddenly, a sharp cry snapped Jack Sullivan out of his moment of euphoria.

Unnoticed by him, the girl was already standing about ten meters away, sword in hand, its tip aimed directly at him. Her bright, watery eyes were full of suspicion and alarm as they locked onto him.

Jack narrowed his eyes slightly and, after a brief pause, let out a cold chuckle. "I am the prince consort of Fire Origin Kingdom! Even the royal princess wasn’t spared from my gaze if I so wished. You? You're nothing more than moderately good looking. Me gracing you with my attention is your blessing! Don’t think waving that sword around scares me. Do you know who I am? A once-in-a-century genius in cultivation! You, little girl, are not even close to making me flinch. Come on, step forward if you've got the guts. Let’s see what you’re made of!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host 'Jack Sullivan,' on successfully bragging. You’ve earned 1 point of Bragging Value."

Sure enough, the system’s unmistakable prompt rang out in his mind, audible only to him. Jack couldn’t hold back a hearty laugh this time.

So, the "Bragging and Face-Slapping System" was literal—just bragging alone could rack up points. Those points could then lead to levels, rewards—the sky was the limit.

"Oh, right, there’s still that gift pack!" Jack’s eyes lit up at the memory. He focused his mind and gave the command silently: "Check the gift pack."The light curtain in front of him shifted, replacing the scene with a square gift box. As the box opened, several streaks of light shot out, vanishing in an instant.

“Congratulations, Host ‘Jack Sullivan,’ for obtaining a Beginner’s Experience Pill. Consuming it grants 10,000 experience points.”

“Congratulations, Host ‘Jack Sullivan,’ for obtaining two Beginner’s Swift Escape Talismans. Use them to teleport anywhere within a five-kilometer radius instantly.”

“Congratulations, Host ‘Jack Sullivan,’ for obtaining the beginner-level ‘Ancient Five Elements Technique’

Note: The beginner version allows cultivation up to the Foundation Establishment stage. Further progress can be unlocked in the system store

.”

“Ding! Host ‘Jack Sullivan’ detected with incomplete spiritual roots. The system will now restore all spiritual roots.”

Suddenly, Jack felt a surge of electricity coursing through his body, making his scalp tingle.

But what followed was pure euphoria—a soothing sensation washed over him as every pore on his body seemed to gape open, greedily absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

Boom!

In no time, Jack sensed an earth-shattering transformation within himself. He felt more connected to nature, as if he could meld with and command the elements around him.

The feeling struck a chord deep within—a feeling he hadn't experienced since his Heavenly Fire Spiritual Root was taken by Princess Sophia. Now, not only had the system restored his Heavenly Fire Root, but it had also completed his other elemental roots.Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—bam! All five elemental roots, and every single one of them top-tier "Heaven" grade.

Damn, talk about defying the heavens!

With that thought, Jack Sullivan couldn’t hold back anymore. Throwing his fist into the air, he roared, "With this system in hand, the world’s mine! That so-called Fire Nation princess and emperor? Just wait till I level up—I’ll crush you both into the dirt!"

"You rogue! If you’re truly the royal consort of the Fire Nation, how dare you spout such treasonous garbage about killing the emperor?" The girl nearby looked almost stunned. Had this consort lost his mind completely? Speaking such blasphemy right in front of her?

"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Jack Sullivan, for successfully showing off. You’ve earned 1 Pretentious Point."

The sound yanked Jack back to reality. The corner of his lips twitched. Damn it, he’d gotten so caught up in showing off and plotting future domination that he forgot about the present mess. He needed to make a run for it. Fast.

"Wait… Experience Pill!"

Suddenly, it hit him. That newbie gift pack—it had a Beginner Experience Pill.

No hesitation. Using his mind, Jack opened the system interface and brought up his inventory. Three items lay there in plain sight.

"Use them! Use them all!" Jack focused on two of the items and shouted in his head.

A rapid string of system notifications filled his brain. “Ding, congratulations to the host, Jack Sullivan, for successfully mastering the 'Primordial Five Elements Technique.'"

“Ding, the host, Jack Sullivan, has consumed a Basic Experience Pill and gained 10,000 experience points."

"Congratulations to the host, Jack Sullivan, for leveling up. Current realm: Qi Refinement Stage Level 1."

"Congratulations to the host, Jack Sullivan, for leveling up. Current realm: Qi Refinement Stage Level 2."

"Congratulations to the host, Jack Sullivan, for leveling up. Current realm: Qi Refinement Stage Level 3."

...

"Congratulations to the host, Jack Sullivan, for leveling up. Current realm: Qi Refinement Stage Level 10."

In just a few breaths' time, Jack went from a powerless mortal to a cultivator, skyrocketing straight to the peak of Qi Refinement Stage Level 10, only a step away from the Foundation Establishment Stage.

And his current strength far outstripped an ordinary cultivator at this level.

The key lay in his possession of five Heavenly Spirit Roots—essentially granting him five times the power of a typical person. More than that, the interaction of the five elemental energies amplified his strength far beyond any simple multiplication.

"If this isn't invincibility, then what is?” Jack couldn't stop the surge of excitement flooding his heart. The woman on the other side suddenly swung her sword, a streak of light slicing through the clouds, the blade sharp as a viper and hurtling straight for him in an instant.

“Damn it, Fairy! I just asked you to step forward so I could get a proper look at you, little beauty. Who told you to draw your sword? That’s a sneak attack! A cheap shot!” Jack Sullivan yelled as he saw the flying sword speeding his way. Startled, he cursed loudly.

But cursing didn't stop his quick reflexes. Sliding smoothly back, he extended a finger, a thread of water-element aura forming at the tip. With a light flick, he aimed it at the incoming blade.

*Clang!*

A sharp, resonant note rang out as the sword was deflected and sent flying off course.

“How… how’s that even possible?” The woman froze, utterly dumbfounded. In their sect, only the senior masters and a handful of senior disciples at Foundation Establishment Level Six or higher could counter her sword technique that effortlessly.

“I don’t get it. I've already told you it was a misunderstanding, but you just wouldn’t let it go! And now you’re even trying to kill me? What, you think just because you look like a fairy I’d hold back from hitting you? Forget it. I didn’t get a good look earlier anyway; this time, I’ll take my sweet time checking you out, fair and square,” Jack snapped, clearly irritated.

With one step forward, he shifted his footing subtly. The earth-element aura beneath his feet melded with the ground, and in the blink of an eye, his speed doubled. He appeared in front of her almost instantly.A wisp of water-element spiritual energy surged from his palm, spreading outward. Before the woman could react, she was instantly immobilized.

"You... you scoundrel! What are you trying to do?" Her face turned pale, shock flashing in her eyes as she felt her fire-element spiritual energy completely suppressed.

"Heh! Since you've already called me a scoundrel, I might as well live up to it."

Jack Sullivan smirked slyly, raised an eyebrow, and stepped forward.